Cheng Long

Long Cheng is the reigning emperor of the Taibai Empire, having assumed the throne three years ago after her father Long Xiao was killed by an assassin. Despite her youth, she carries the full burden of imperial rule. In private, she regards Pu Zhao as an elder brother, finding in him a rare source of solace. In the early part of the story, she is entirely unaware that soldiers acting under the empire's banner have been slaughtering ordinary civilians, and bears no deliberate ill intent toward them. During a chance encounter in battle with Lady Pang, however, a long-suppressed memory forces its way to the surface. Long Cheng recalls that her father Long Xiao did not die at another's hand — it was she herself who killed him, her powers spiraling out of control when she was still a child. The weight of this revelation leaves her overwhelmed with grief. When a letter of challenge arrives from Meng Ji, Long Cheng refuses to yield. Claiming the mandate of heaven as her justification, she resolves to hold the Taibai Palace at any cost. Believing she has nothing of value left to lose, she fully embraces her destiny as emperor and sets forth on a path of unrelenting conquest across the land. In terms of ability, Long Cheng can wield magic spanning all elemental attributes, pointing to immense underlying power — yet she remains unable to direct that power at will.